recruitment
UK[rɪˈkruːtmənt]US[rɪˈkruːtmənt]
n
the process of finding new people to join a company, organization, or the armed forces
n
the act of recruiting or being recruited
Morpheme Breakdown
re
cruit
ment
re
again
cruit
to grow
ment
noun suffix
Etymology
the word 'recruitment' originates from the french 'recruter', which itself is derived from the latin verb 'recrescere', meaning 'to grow again'. the latin components are 're-' (again) and 'crescere' (to grow). the term initially applied to replenishing or 'growing again' the numbers in an army. over time, the specific military sense of raising new troops broadened into the general modern meaning of the action or process of enlisting new members for any organization. the suffix '-ment', of latin origin via french, solidifies the word as a noun denoting the process or result of the action.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + cruit (to grow) + ment (noun suffix)
re- (latin prefix, meaning 'again'); cruit (from old french 'recruter', ultimately from latin 'recrescere' meaning 'to grow again'); -ment (latin suffix via french, forming nouns denoting an action or resulting state).
Examples
the company has frozen all recruitment due to budget cuts.
her main responsibility is the recruitment and training of new staff.
there has been a significant increase in army recruitment this year.